Transport for London has announced that more than one billion contactless payments have now been made on London’s transport network with ‘tap and go’ payments. The figures, published by TfL, show that, on average, two million journeys are now made using contactless every day. In total, 40 per cent of all pay as you go journeys are now made using contactless, up from 25 per cent in early 2016.

Of these, almost one in 10 contactless transactions are now made using mobile devices, with more than 31 million journeys made specifically using mobile phones in London in the last 12 months. Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said, “I’m delighted that we’ve hit one billion contactless journeys in London. The dramatic increase in the use of contactless over the last year shows the real progress we’ve made making journeys easier and more convenient for busy Londoners and also visitors to our city.

Kevin Akerman, Visa’s executive director of data management and business intelligence, added, “A main reason contactless payments have taken off is the seamless payment experience it creates for consumers. The fact that people traveling around London, one of the busiest cities in the world, can tap their card and, in less than a second, pay to use any form of transport they wish – avoiding queues and without the need for paper tickets – is certainly frictionless. And the fact that TfL has just recorded its one billionth contactless journey, is a clear sign that London loves it.”